Wednesday, April 16, 2014

One last chance for Glasgow

IT’S crunch time for national lifters hoping to book a ticket to
the Commonwealth Games as they will have to produce results at the
Perlis leg of the National Circuit on April 22-26 if they want to make
the Glasgow squad.

Malaysian Weightlifting Federation deputy president Ahmad Janius
Abdullah said the tournament is the only chance for lifters to qualify
for the games.

“I expect it to be quite a competitive event. The nation’s best,
including the national elite lifters, will be in Perlis for the
tournament.

“It does not matter if they are in the elite squad or not. Anyone who
wants to go to Glasgow will have to meet or exceed the lifts of the
fourth placed finisher at the previous games in Delhi (2010) to make the
team.

“This is the only chance for our lifters to qualify. If they do not
meet the standards here, they will not be able to do it anywhere else as
it will already be too close to the games (July 23-Aug 3) after this.”
Ahmad Janius said the women’s elite team are currently training
alongside provincial lifters in Bandung while Mohd Hafifi Mansor (69kg),
a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, is training with the
Indonesia’s elite team in Balikpapan.

"Our girls responded well to their camp in Bandung before the Myanmar
Sea Games last year, so we have decided to send them there again to
prepare for the Commonwealth Games as well.

“Mohd Hafifi has personally requested to train in Balikpapan with
Indonesia's head coach. He feels it is best for him and we have decided
to allow him to do so.”

Despite bagging only two bronze in the Sea Games, Azizah Fadzil
(women's 53kg), Norkhasidah Abdul Halim (69kg) and Franceay Titus (58kg)
broke seven national records between them in Myanmar.